I CAN(‘T) SEE CLEARLY NOW . . .

For the last nine or ten years, I have been wearing glasses. I got them around the time I was seven years old. My mom had noticed that I was having a hard time reading the books my second grade teacher sent home with me every week. Sooner or later, she set up an eye appointment for me, and farther down the road, I was fitted with low-prescription reading glasses. (They were pink spongebob glasses, just FYI.) To no one’s surprise, however, I lost them after a very short few months. A couple of years, many pairs of glasses, and several eye appointments later, we get to where we are now. Very, very blind. Okay, I’m not blind, but I can safely say my vision is extremely impaired. Every year or so, my prescription drastically increases, and I’ve recently been told that I also have a stigmatism. It’s also illegal for me to drive without glasses, and I’m almost completely night blind. Lovely!

For the past few years, my parents have tried to get me to switch over to contacts (which I politely decline because I absolutely hate touching my eyeball.) However, quite recently, they’ve been discussing the option of Laser Eye Surgery, also known as Lasix. At first thought, and at third and fourth and fifth, this sounds absolutely terrifying. (Lasers. In. My. Eyeballs.) However, the more that I’ve thought about it, it seems like a legitimate option. I’ll (most likely) never have to wear glasses again, so not only is that one less thing for me to lose everyday, but I’ll also be able to see in instances where I can’t wear my glasses, like at the pool, the beach, a waterpark, or just when it’s bright outside and I want to be able to wear sunglasses.

I’m not going to lie, the idea of me getting Lasix is still very scary to me. And, I really like my glasses. However, I know that in the long run this surgery will most likely be better for me, and my best option. Not only will I be able to see clearly on my own, but I will also save tons of money as well. (I have to buy new glasses every few years which can be over 100 dollars for one pair. So in the span of my life I will spend thousands on glasses/contacts, whereas Lasix is only a couple of hundred dollars.)